I urge you to vote against House Bill 209 when it comes to the House floor next week. This legislation creates barriers to voting while addressing a problem that essentially does not exist in Utah.
According to Ryan Cowley, Utah's director of elections, there have been fewer than half a dozen documented instances of non-citizens voting in our state. This represents an infinitesimal fraction of Utah voters. The Utah League of Women Voters correctly characterizes HB 209 as "a solution in search of a problem," noting that even the most inflated claims of non-citizen voting never exceed a few tenths of one percent of eligible voters.
Utah faces genuine challenges that deserve legislative attention and resources. Creating new bureaucratic requirements to address a virtually nonexistent problem diverts time and taxpayer money from issues that actually impact Utahns' daily lives. This bill passed committee with a 9-3 vote on Wednesday, but it deserves closer scrutiny on the House floor.
Representative Angela Romero raised a critical concern about potential bias in implementation, stating: "I have concerns that there's a county clerk who has a bias when they look at somebody and don't think that they are a citizen." Representative Andrew Stoddard similarly noted that this requirement would disproportionately affect minority populations. These are not theoretical concerns. Adding subjective citizenship determinations by election officers creates opportunities for discrimination against voters who look or sound different, even when they are fully eligible citizens.
Requiring proof of citizenship to solve a problem affecting fewer than six people statewide is not sensible policy. It risks disenfranchising eligible voters while consuming resources better spent on actual priorities. I ask you to oppose HB 209 and focus legislative efforts on the real challenges facing Utah communities.
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